Priorities
by Agent Pumpkin
Summary: Cress find himself with more than one priority, but which one should he choose to follow? Is there any chance he can pick ALL of them?


**Hey guys, it's me, Jesspikapal, but you probably already knew that! ;)**

**So anyways, I felt like writing for Cress since his category is pretty empty right about now. :( D'aww, poor Cress; he's not my favourite, but I still like him and think he's pretty fun to write for so I supposed I'd contributre to his numbers a little. It's just a little drabble type thing, nothing more. It's a little longer than a drabble, but not as long as a propper story. Depending on feed-back, I may write more. :)**

**Oh, there are mentions of my friends OC in this, Willow. Thanks WhiteRose! :D**

**Please review! :)**

**Warnings: A seriously OOC Cilan in the second part (Enemy)!**

**~Jess~**

**X x**

**Purpose - "Cress was alot of things: a friend, an enemy, a son, a brother, a loner, and to some extents, a lover. Trouble was, which one did he fulfil best?"**

**X x**

_**~Friend~**_

Cress was not easily broken through; his wall was thick and his thoughts were deep, more often than not _too _deep for anyone to even _try _and relate to. But once through it, they realised that Cress' wall was there with only the best intentions. To make sur e he didn't get sucked into things that could harm him and things that could put him or his family in danger. Wasn't that what humans did by nature? Was it so wrong that he protected himself thoroughly from the strangers of the outside of the world? He, personally, didn't see anything wrong with his cautions, though it seemed to settle differently with other people.

In Striaton Gym, serving in the restauraunt, he was cool and calm, not emotionless. Many people thought so, though they were wrong and it angered him slightly that they thought they had the right to make that deduction about him; they didn't know anything about him. Cress was hospitable. Why wasn't that enough? Lest they not forget they were within _his _restauraunt. Throughout Chili's flirty ways and Cilan's Connoisseur-like drabbles, he was still a big part of the Striaton Trio. Because without him, they were only a duo and that was _not _what they were notorious for.

"Why are you so quiet? Can't you speak?" a curious female had asked him before as he served her her required soda. Cress had looked up at her, making real eye contact with a customer for the first time in God knew how long.

"What triggers the question, ma'am?" he had asked quietly, politely, as he had been taught to do with the aid of his parents. They were always promoting good manners within a household: Why should a restauraunt be any differnet? Afterall, there were living people within the walls there aswell and since they were _his _walls, it was _his _job to make sure they were happy.

"Well..." she seemed to pause, unable to think of a way to continue with her query. "It's just, well, y'know, there's Chili talking to any female who're between the ages of fifteen and twenty five- shamelessly, I'll add - and there's Cilan tending to the customers that Chili's left behind. What do _you _do, Cress?"

He thought for a moment before he spoke, a collected smile on his pale face. "I make sure _everyone _is happy."

She smiled brightly, catching him by surpise. "Well, I'm happy now. I have an answer. Thank you, Cress. Seems you _can _speak." she smirked up at him and he couldn't help but return it. It would slide while his brothers weren't watching. Though he hadn't quite caught her name, he was chatting to her as if she his long lost friend.

Friend.

Smirking, he replied: "Ma'am, it's not a case of what I can't do. It's a case of what I _don't _do..."

_**~Enemy~**_

He hated him. Cress hated the ghost that had taken over his brother, Cilan. He'd changed his brother and morphed him into something that he wasn't. He rarely came to work anymore, all because it was "cool" for him to bunk off. Such folly! Cress'd never heard a more ridiculous statement in his life!

But how could the once lovable and completely, totally hospitable Cilan be changed by what one person said? Did Cress even care? Of course he did, that was why it was bothering him. Cilan was not himself anymore and he didn't like it. He seemed rude, like he didn't care anymore; even his flavoursome Connoisseur drabbles had disappeared and, as annnoying as they were at times, Cress would give anything to hear them again in turn for the disgusting vocabulary that was leaving his brother's mouth in their place.

"Cilan? Are you in there?" he asked as he rapped on his bedroom door. Chili had done his chores and Cress was taking the washed clothes up to their bedrooms in order to serve his chore.

"Yeah," he replied, no trace of friendliness in his tone. Cress rolled his eyes, annoyance playing on his face, though he composed himself and pushed the door open, only to drop the clothes in shock. There on the bed was Cilan, flicking through what looked to be a dirty, vulgar magazine, a bottle of strong drink on his bedside table, his lamp shoved to the floor in order to fit it there.

"C-Cilan..." Cress gasped as he peered around the room. Empty cans of whatever it was were lying around the room, his bin was upturned, his desk - once full of Connoisseuring studies and courses - was now empty, his work nowhere to be seen. "W-What have you done?"

"Tidied up." was the curt response that Cress received.

"B-But, everything's ruined," he stuttered, trying to make sense out of something as he peered around the God-forsaken room. Everything was gone; everything his brother had worked for, was now gone.

"Oh for goodness sake," So he didn't quite have the courage to say God's name in vain, despite him being an athiest? Good. Cilan had always been super-careful around people because he hadn't known their religious views, so he hadn't used any terms that may have offended anyone. That part of him, that small part of him, seemed to still be in tact. Really, the real Cilan was in there somewhere, just bursting to say something Connoisseur-like. "Don't start," he continued. "You told me to tidy up earlier. I've tidied up!"

Cress was shocked. How dare his _younger _brother talk to him like that!

"Look, close the door when you leave, hmm?" he asked expectantly as he flicked the page over and gave a perverse chuckle, his usually kind eyes dark with defilation. Cress shuddered with anger, and quickly strode out before he lost his temper, slamming the door a little harder than necessary as he exhaled sharply and ran a firm hand through his hair.

He never thought his own brother could be so... enemy-like...

_**~Son~**_

"You're a naughty boy!" their mother cooed as she wrestled with five year old Chili for the TV remote. Of course, she was pretending; their mom would have them in tears if she used her real strength! Her occupation - alongside a part time cook - was a Pokemon Ranger and she had been so for several years. She was a rather old woman (thirty three) but she was still as fit as a fiddle, always sticking to her daily routines and duties to protect Pokemon and other people from the harmful, bothersome ways of Team Plasma. They were a small organisation, but they were definitely feared throughout Unova.

"Gimme! Gimme!" the red-head screamed, a large grin on his face as his hands wiggled and waved in order to grab the craved object. Cress looked up from the morning paper and sighed: He may have been seven, but he sure felt older, almost thirteen in fact. The paper that came on a Sunday morning was one thing to amuse him, with it's difficult word puzzles and word anagrams, despite him being too young to understand the breath-taking stories properly. He flipped through the tatty tabloid to find a half finished crossword puzzle. Seemed his mother had given up. _Again_...

Soon enough, Cress grew tired of listening to Chili and his mother arguing (playfully) and strode into the kitchen and sat at the kitchen table. He had minor difficulty climbing the tall chair that Dad used to sit on, but he managed in due time. Throwing the paper down, he examined it slowly, reading the clues thoroughly. For Cress, something in his brain just clicked when it came to puzzles; maybe it was his obscene level of common sense? Or maybe even his overly-developed brain? Or perhaps it was just his thirst for knowledge. All seemed appropriate as the small seven year old began to fill the crossword in contentedly. Suddenly, hismother came through to the kitchen, getting a drink of water from the clean kitchen tap.

"What are you doing darling?"

"A crossword. The one you left," Cress answered, polite and slight as always.

"Well... it was hard," she caved sheepishly as she looked over her son's shoulder to see the puzzle gradually becoming more full. She blinked. Her son's amazing brain skills had always shocked her so but she still couldn't believe his awareness, even after so many times of seeing it; it just never seemed to make sense that one child - one seven year old - could be so brilliant at things that even she couldn't do! Cress was a wonder! "You make it look easy!" she cried, ruffling his short blue bangs. He sported a lop-sided grin as she did so, then fell blank once more as he stared at the words, the print jumping from the page and into his brain to be used for later.

"That's because it _is _easy, Mom," the blue-haired child breathed quietly, writing the final word in.

_Son._

"You leave the easy one till last?" asked his mother as she examined the carefully last written word. For a seven year old, he could write ever so neatly. Even she had trouble with writing sometimes when on an uneven surface, or when she wasn't in the mood to be particularly neat but Cress simply carried on.

"No," he replied, cuddling his mother's arm affectionately. She wrapped her free arm around her son's shoulders and held him close, breathing in his cool yet young boy-ish scent. "I left the _important _one till last..."

_**~Brother~**_

"Cress, how come the teacher gave me math again? He knows I can't do math!" a fourteen year old Chili yelled, seriously peeved as he waved the sheet precariously around the room. Cress looked up from his book for a moment to give him an uninterested glance, only for Chili to screw the piece of paper up and throw it. As a result of this, Cress was hit in the face. Even so, he simply straightened himself out and sighed.

"Yes, your teacher knows you can't do math. That's why he gives you it," Cress explained tiredly; he must've had this very conversation at least twelve times in the past week and it was seriously starting to annoy him. He flitted through the familiar words in his head and then sighed once more. "To make sure you get better. Now c'mere and explain to me the part you don't get. I'll help you," he offered, finally snapping. If he had to have this very conversation one more time, he'd surely kill his little brother. The seventeen year old beckoned the red-haired child over, only for him to pull a confused face.

"How can I _explain _something I don't get?" Chili asked, as if his brother was terribly stupid. Cress scowled in return.

"Don't get cheeky. Remember it's _you _who can't do it, not me," the blue haired waiter warned, only for Chili to blush slightly from embarrassment.

"Yeah, sorry..." he commented as he sat beside his brother on his bed and flung the math into his lap, sighing outwardly, purposfully. Chili shrugged and crossed his arms as Cress stared at the problem.

"I don't know how to do it." was what Chili heard to his astonishment. He turned and delivered Cress a shocked look, getting even more confused when Cress smirked and chuckled. When Chili remained blank, he stopped laughing and fell flat. "I was _joking_, Chili..." said red-head gasped, as if his lungs were failing and then scowled at his brother.

"Not funny, man!" he exclaimed, as he attempted to mask his temporary horror. Cress just smirked once more; it was an action he was accustomed to, rather than smiling. It was a good thing to use in order to confuse people; when he smirked people didn't know what to think. Was he happy? Was he just joking? Or was he triumphant as he saw straight through your ploy? No one was able to tell until the exact words came from his mouth. That, and it looked good on him!

"I beg to differ," was all Cress retorted with, before he picked up the pen and worked out the problem step by step. He did it in steps, not because he couldn't do it without them, but in order to show Chili what to do and show and teach him a metho. A method he'd hopefully remember so that he didn't have to have the depressing conversation once more. He hoped with all his heart that Chili would get it and even if he didn't, that he would go and ask Cilan instead in hope of a new method. "See," Cress added, as he briefly explained what he was doing. "You were dividing _here_ rather than _here_. That's where your answer went wrong. Everything else was correct."

Chili just stared, before a slow understanding smile made it's way onto his face.

"... I get it..." he breathed, his eyes still marvelling at the working out, before his face broke out into his characteristic grin. "Thanks!" he cried, obviously happy as he flung his arms around his brother's neck. Cress, being a brother, returned it. How could he not? His little brother - his own flesh and blood - was grateful and it was because of him. He smiled slightly, before Chili tore away, grabbed his math and ran through the door, leaving it open as usual. Cress frowned in annoyance. Open doors had always irritated him.

Specifically _his _open door.

_**~Loner~**_

Lonely.

It was a curious word. It was a word that made him ponder and think as he sat alone in his room. People said that people got lonely when they were alone. But Cress was alone right now, and he didn't feel lonely. Laying on his bed, thinking - alone - was one of his favourite pass-times. It cleared his head and made him feel normal and stable, as opposed to the hectic life of caterring and Gym Battles.

He didn't like mingling with people specifically, as they always (or nearly always!) accounted for trouble in the later future, whenever or wherever, it was bound to happen. He wasn't the nieve four year old he'd once been, in which he thought friendship was destined to last forever with that one special person you could talk to about anything, whenever and wherever you needed to.

_"Maybe we could be friends?"_

_"Friends?"_

_"Yeah! It's like, people who play together and tell __all__ their secrets to. They go round to each others houses for tea and invite them to their parties and everything! It's fun!" the young male replied. He went by the name of Jack. With scruffy black hair, unkempt dungarees and scuffed up trainers, he looked the average five year old. He was so much bigger than Cress! _

_"That sounds... nice..."_

And indeed it had. They'd been friends right through until this year. To think they were separated by a _girl_. Jack, who, at twelve, was convinced he was in love and had finally worked up the guts to ask the girl out somewhere, took her to _their _secret place. Except it wasn't secret anymore because _she _had seen it! It had made his blood boil, even at fifteen. He knew he was being childish and probably unfair, but for once, he didn't exactly care. He was always the one to think before he did and it always left him behind everyone else because they were all so irrational.

Loneliness, in his mind, was a virtue at times according to people's basic definition.

_Loneliness - When you feel alone. _That's even what his teacher had described it as. But he saw differently. He saw it that, if you were lonely, then you were alone. Obviously. But it also meant that, if you felt alone, then you obviously _were _alone. Which means that you have to fairly compatible with your own company in order to get through it without too much depression. That was just his personal judgement and he was going to stick to it, dilligent as ever.

That was another one of his traits and it always took him further than anyone else...

_**~Lover~**_

"Oh Cress, it's so nice!" Willow chirruped beside him as she cradled Panpour to her chest. The grass tickled their backs as they lay side by side on the grass - an action he would normally argue against, but i was what she had wanted to do. Ever since she had walked into his life - alongside a couple of other girls, but they were for the other brothers (Ruby and Iris) - he'd felt... complete and safer when voicing his own opinion in any situation. He felt secure with her to rely on, despite his brothers being closer. Perhaps they were only closer because they shared blood relations? He wasn't sure.

"I'm glad you like it." he replied softly, a rare smile across his face as the thought of making his girl-friend smile crossed his mind. He wasn't one for crummy cliches and rubbish romanticising of things, but he honestly felt something for the girl beside him. She made him smile. And he felt obliged to let her.

"I _love _it!" she corrected, snuggling into his side, her eyes closing lightly. Against the dark fabric of his vest, her world was shielded from everything dangerous. The only thing keeping her aware was the heavenly scent that trailed from his demeanuer and into her nose as she sniffed slowly, taking him in shamelessly. She would be the first to admit that she felt addicted to the refreshing smell he emmited wherever he went and she tended to follow it, in hope of smelling it more often. "Thank you for bringing me here." she finished, allowing Panpour to slip out of her arms and run to the small river that so kindly accompanied them in the dark of night. The moon was their only light, though Cress didn't mind. He was resourceful after all.

"It was my pleasure." Cress whispered, wrapping a careful arm around her waist. She shifted slightly and then allowed him to take her fully into his arms, though she couldn't resist a pang of defiance as she let him clutch her close. He was fun to tease, particularly when he was grumpy. It was even more fun to make him smile that relcutant smile of his and that was why she did alot of the things she did in the first place. In hope of making him smile.

Slowly, she lifted her head to find him staring at her. He did the same as he always did: turned his head away speedily, a light blush on his pale face as he did so. She giggled lightly and tapped his head. Though his head didn't shift, his eyes did and thye soon met with hers once more. Once he did that, he was mush. Mush in her fingertips, her's to be kneeded into shape. He was whatever she made him; he just hoped it was a continuous lover. He loved her deeply and held her dear to his heart.

"You're so shy, Cress. Why?"

He had a million reasons for being weary as there were so many things that made a girl unhappy. She didn't like it if he commented on her figure, she didn't like it if he complimented her face, she didn't like it if he bought her flowers and gifts as she thought she'd been spoilt. But if one wanted to spoil another, wouldn't they continue to do so anyway? He'd heard gifts were a sign of affection, though to be entirely honest, he wouldn't be very impressed by a box of chocolates either. They were material and didn't really matter. But Willow... she could give him a _tea-bag _and it would make him smile!

"I-I-"

"Surely you know what I mean? Why are you so quiet? Are you scared you'll do something wrong?" she continued to probe, her eyes narrowing slightly as she searched for an answer. That expression, he silently adored.

"...Yes." he answered hesitantly.

"Well don't be, duh!" Willow mocked, tapping his fore-head lovingly, mkaing him smile slightly. Maybe he was being a little prudeish and maybe he was being a little old fashioned, but it was the way he'd been brought up. He'd been taught to be polite and commenting on someone's firgure didn't exactly reside in the "appropriate" category. "Say anything you want. _Do _anything you want..."

So he did.

He kissed her. He kissed her softly in the black serenity of their special place. It was entirely secluded from human life and he was glad for that. It was like they were the only ones in the world whenever they were together there, alone. And alone they would remain, as he took careful procedures to make sure that no one else caught on to his special place. _Their _special place. It was hidden from view and only they knew about it and that's how he wanted it to stay.

Pulling away, he couldn't think properly. He just smiled, stroked her face and made a comment. Anything to compliment her an dlet her know how important she was to him.

"...You're..." he paused, smiling lowly, his eyes drooping to a half-lidded state. And expression that nobody thought they would ever see. But he didn't care about them seeing it; he cared about Willow seeing it. Then, without another word, he finished:

"..._Beautiful..."_

**X x**

**Done! Hopefully it wasn't TOO painful.I hope you liked it and, even if you didn't, please review! Just be aware, it's HARD to keep Cress in character! xD Like, SO hard!**

**Please review! :)**

**~Jess~ **


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